- December 19, 2025
Samadhi Wildlife Founder and President Dawn Barbone and her partner, Vice President Jesse Heilman, pose with Bean, an opossum and Samadhi Wildlife animal ambassador. Bean came to Samadhi Wildlife after he was attacked by a dog. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Dawn Barbone feeds a baby squirrel with a syringe inside her home. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Precious is one of the disabled raccoons rescued by Samadhi Wildlife. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Volunteer Chris Jones feeds Oscar. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Samadhi Wildlife Founder and President Dawn Barbone and her partner, Vice President Jesse Heilman. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Samadhi Wildlife Founder and President Dawn Barbone and her partner, Vice President Jesse Heilman. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Tommy, an African Sulcata tortoise, strolls alongside a fawn inside an enclosure at Samadhi Wildlife. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Samadhi Wildlife Founder and President Dawn Barbone and her partner, Vice President Jesse Heilman enjoy a moment inside an enclosure with a fawn. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Tommy, an African Sulcata tortoise. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Samadhi Wildlife Founder and President Dawn Barbone smiles with Otis, a domesticated pig. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Samadhi Wildlife Founder and President Dawn Barbone pets Faithie, a non-releasable deer she raised since she was a fawn. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Faithie is one of Samadhi Wildlife's animal ambassadors. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Samadhi Wildlife Founder and President Dawn Barbone and her partner, Vice President Jesse Heilman pet Faithie. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The future of an Ormond Beach wildlife sanctuary is now uncertain, as the property housing dozens of injured, orphaned and non-releasable animals faces foreclosure — even though the nonprofit has never missed a month's rent.
Samadhi Wildlife, a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation organization, moved into 289 Pine Woods Drive in Plantation Pines on July 1, 2024. It's a 2-acre property where nonprofit founder Dawn Barbone and her partner, Jesse Heilman, have constructed numerous enclosures housing different native Florida species, from raccoons to opossums, deer and squirrels.
And to be able to continue their mission, Samadhi Wildlife is asking the community to help raise $100,000. In total, they will need $400,000, but since it's a significant sum, Barbone said they're asking for donations in phases.
"Samadhi Wildlife is a selfless organization," Barbone said. "We do nothing but give back and we take nothing. Now in this critical time where our future is uncertain ... we need the community to give back to us, and we need them to stand behind us in our mission to help save these animals who have nowhere to turn. They have no other options."
At any given time, Samadhi Wildlife houses between 50 to over 100 animals. Many of them come to them in significant states of trauma, brought over both by members of the public and local law enforcement agencies, such as Florida Fish and Wildlife, Ormond Beach Police and the Volusia Sheriff's Office.
"We are one of the only rehab facilities that actually gives the traumas a second chance," Barbone said. "Most rehab centers will take in healthy, viable animals, like healthy orphans, that are easy to rehab and return back to the wild."
So when a citizen notified them in November that the property they were renting was being foreclosed, the situation quickly became an emergency for Samadhi Wildlife.
On Oct. 8, Carrington Mortgage Services filed a lawsuit against the property owner, Tyler Breeden. The lawsuit alleges that Breeden stopped paying his mortgage since Aug. 1, 2024, a month after Samadhi Wildlife began renting the property from him.
As far as the courts were concerned, Breeden lived at the property and did not have a tenant.
"We don't exist," Barbone said, adding that Breeden has collected $45,000 from them for rent since they moved in.
After notifying the clerk, the nonprofit was instructed to submit a copy of their lease and contact the mortgage company.
Samadhi Wildlife has also launched a GoFundMe in hopes of being able to purchase the property and secure their current location. So far, the nonprofit has raised over $28,600.
If purchasing their current location is not feasible, Samadhi Wildlife will use the funds to relocate.
"That's going to be huge," Barbone said. "A lot of [the animals] need to be heavily medicated, just to be moved."
Volunteer Colleen Anderson discovered Samadhi Wildlife after a doe was hit by a car in her neighborhood, leaving her fawn orphaned.
"Her fawn was running around our neighborhood crying for three days," Anderson said. "Nobody could catch her, but we started making phone calls. It took a long time. Everybody was turning us away."
When she found Samadhi Wildlife, they took in the fawn, which at that point was dehydrated and malnourished.
"Dawn immediately started giving her IV fluids and antibiotics and showed her a lot of love, care and attention, and introduced her to other fawns that were here," Anderson said.
Helping animals has long been a part of who Barbone is. Since she was little, she said she's felt a connection to animals.
There are many organizations that help domesticated animals like dogs and cats. Those resources aren't as readily available for wildlife.
"We are destroying their habitats," Barbone said. "We are solely responsible for the habitat destruction, yet these animals cannot turn to us because there are no government funds."
It's why Samadhi Wildlife, she said, runs entirely on donations.
"I knew that was my calling," Barbone said. "I knew that I had to be the voice for the animals that couldn't speak. I had to be the hands to heal them when they can't get medical care anywhere else."
Barbone's entire life, Anderson said, has been dedicated to this mission. If the community can come together to help, Samadhi Wildlife can continue to help save animals, she added.
"We're hoping for a Christmas miracle," Anderson said.
